Adrian Harms
BBC Sussex

Sussex are on the verge of victory at Grace Road despite defiant resistance from Ben Cox and Steve Eskinazi, who frustrated them for almost an hour and a half this morning.

However, having passed the 100 partnership Fynn Hudson Prentice removed both in successive overs.

Sussex will collect 22 points should they win which will wipe out the 12 point deduction handed out by the ECB.

However that good news will be tempered by the fact that new signing quick bowler Dom Goodman is out for three months with a fractured rib, and with left-armer Sean Hunt also sidelined with an elbow injury, the Sussex bowling resources are already badly stretched

What a world we live in. And what a sport we get to enjoy in all corners of it...

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Hampshire captain Ben Brown insists it is not time to rip up pre-season plans but gas called for a big reaction from a bruised squad following Sunday's innings defeat by Essex.

Brown admitted the home dressing room was “really flat” after a performance that suggested they could be in for a long season.

“We have worked really hard. This week was one where you get behind against a good team and it is very difficult to change that momentum back.

“It is a 14-game season, it is a long season. These games happen whether you have a good team or a not so good team.

“Every county will suffer these games. You have to live with it and come back. We have 13 more games so we can’t stew in a hole and think about last year. We have to put it to bed and put in a big performance against Yorkshire.”

Hampshire only survived on the final day of last season by a solitary point as Durham and Worcestershire went down.

“Essex played good cricket, they are a very good and experienced side. They out batted us, out bowled us and out fielded us. We were well beaten across all three days,” Brown added.

“Pound for pound, they are the best bowling attack looking around the circuit this week, and we couldn’t deal with it.”

Division One

Glamorgan 302 & 218-5 dec v Yorkshire 226

Leicestershire 245 & 244-8 v Sussex 361 & 364

Somerset 347 & 370-5 v Nottinghamshire 338

Warwickshire 544 v Surrey 328 & 274-3

Division Two

Derbyshire 625-8 dec v Worcestershire 312 & 158-3 (f/o)

Durham 335 & 218-9 dec v Kent 197

Middlesex 445-9 dec v Gloucestershire 216 & 166-6 (f/o)

Northamptonshire 258 & 63-6 v Lancashire 384 & 194

Sussex began the final day needing five wickets for victory at Grace Road but they are being made to work hard to secure it by an obdurate Leicestershire side.

James Coles put down Ben Cox at slip early on and it proved a costly miss and he and Stevie Eskinazi added 103 for the sixth wicket, both of them making half-centuries.

Fynn Hudson-Prentice finally removed the pair in successive overs and Tom Scriven fell to the left-arm spin of Coles.

Surprisingly, Sussex skipper Ollie Robinson has yet to bowl today.

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Leicestershire are over half-way to their target - but to reach it would be something of a cricketing miracle.

Sam Wood drives James Coles for four and is nine not out, with Ben Green on 11.

Mike Taylor
BBC WM commentator

Warwickshire’s last good chance to convert their position of strength over the first three days into victory will come six overs into this afternoon, when the new ball becomes available.

This morning they could not dislodge either Dan Lawrence or Jamie Smith, despite a few threatening moments.

Smith played within himself for the most part. He offered the only two sharp chances of the session when he attempted to drive more freely, surviving one edge that flew past Sam Hain at shoulder height in the slips, and a fierce low hit to extra cover that Beau Webster could not hold.

Lawrence started carefully, and played Ethan Bamber’s late inswingers with due caution, but in the final half hour began to time the ball more sweetly and had almost caught up his partner by the interval.

The Bears will have one more push, but Surrey would expect to steer to safe harbour from here.

It is all smiles as the Lancs players gather to walk from the middle with the contest very much theirs for the taking after they have had a spot of lunch.

Brilliantly tight bowling, first from the opening pair of Tom Bailey and Jimmy Anderson, has been backed up by the change options of Ajeet Singh Dale and George Balderson.

Matty Hurst's work behind the wickets, standing up to the stumps, has been lovely to watch.

Northants got stuck in a rut, unsure of whether to try and hit the new ball out of the pitcure or simply dig in. They lost wickets which made the latter tactic look far too negative.

It is probably the case that they were heading for defeat in this game anyway but a bit of intent would have been nice to see.

Still, they have not lost it yet and can regroup over lunch.

Anthony Gibson
BBC Radio Somerset

As things stand, Notts would need 380 in a minimum of 63 overs to win, after a morning of bright and breezy batting, from the two Toms, Abell and Lammonby, especially.

But that assumes a lunchtime declaration, which is by no means guaranteed. Without a declaration, a draw is well-nigh certain, and even with one, it would be far and away the most likely outcome.

Cennydd Davies
BBC Radio Wales commentator

Glamorgan are hoping to secure an unlikely victory on the last day of the first championship fixture of the season against Yorkshire.

With an overnight lead of 187, captain Kiran Carlson and Colin Ingram were methodical in their approach early on with boundaries few and far between at Sophia Gardens.

Carlson fell for 53 off the bowling of Dom Bess , the pick of the Yorkshire bowlers with little on offer for the visitors on a slow wicket, a dismissal which brought Ben Kellaway in to partner Ingram.

With both Kellaway and Ingram in good form, both started to up the tempo prior to lunch - Ingram was again in fine form following on from his century in the first innings before he was caught by Matthew Revis off the bowling of Dom Bess for 75.

It was at that point came an unexpected early declaration from Carlson with his team on 218-5, throwing down the gauntlet to the visitors and leaving the door slightly ajar as they require 295 to win.

Middlesex are in total control of this contest with just four Glocs wickets remaining and the visitors still trailing by 63 runs.

Seb Morgan did significant damage after appearing to get a bit of reverse swing going with the old ball to take two wickets in two balls.

And the new cherry in the hands of Ryan Higgins has now picked out Graeme van Buuren just short of lunch.

Glocs are fighting hard and, to their credit, trying to gain all the positives they can despite heading for what looks like a round one defeat.

They need something special from Oli Price as they try to take this match into a final session.

The session has been extended at Grace Road with Sussex now just two wickets away from victory.

Sam Wood has joined Ben Green out in the middle for Leicestershire following the dismissal of Tom Scriven.

Ollie Robinson has gone off and the Sussex 12th man is out there.

Chaotic end to the session with sixes, wickets and declarations, preventing Kent from enforcing the extra-half-hour.

Kent's burst of 5-19 in under seven overs at a time when the Durham lead was around 250 made it seem all three results were possible but Ben Raine steadied the ship with a swashbuckling 43 and Matty Potts ends unbeaten on 33* from 37 balls with one of the prettiest straight sixes you'll ever see off Joey Evison.

That will be lunch.

When we return Kent will have 66 overs to either score 357 to win, or simply survive for a draw.

A thrilling match is set to go down to the wire, despite having lost 128 overs over the past three days.

It was a sensational start to the day for Derbyshire as Mohammed Abbas struck with the first ball to dismiss Kashif Ali and when Dan Lategan fell not long after the home team looked on course for victory.

But after that they were frustrated as Brett D'Oliveira and Adam Hose saw off the remaining 24 overs of the session without too many alarms although Hose was dropped just before the interval.

Derbyshire know they need to win more games if they're to achieve promotion. They missed out last season because they only managed three victories compared to promoted Glamorgan's five and Leicestershire's seven.

They still have a chance with seven wickets needed and Worcestershire still 155 behind so Derbyshire have most of the day to get them but they were beginning to look a bit flat by the end of the morning session..

It was a testing first hour for Jamie Smith and Dan Lawrence. The latter survived a missed chance at slip, the ball beat the bat a few times and there were some lusty LBW appeals turned down.

But in the second hour of the morning session the Surrey pair looked increasingly comfortable. With Smith on 84 and Lawrence 78 they've extended their partnership to 125 and taken their lead to 58.

Warwickshire will get the new ball soon after lunch and with the sun shining there's still time for this game to change but by lunch a draw is looking the very likely outcome.